Only four days left before the first Filipina Miss World Megan Young crowns her successor. Hopes are high that a back-to-back will happen on December 14 and Miss Philippines Valerie Weigmann is determined to bring that crown home.

So far, Valerie’s only challenge event placement is in the Top 10 of Beauty With A Purpose. The results of the Beach Fashion and Multimedia fast tracks are yet to be announced, although pageant observers believe Valerie is a top contender for the latter. As of this writing, her Facebook page has 331,527 likes.

Aside from liking and commenting on her FB page, we can also extend our support to Miss Philippines by voting for her for the Miss World 2014 People’s Choice Award, which could give the winner a ticket to the final round of the pageant.

To do so, follow these steps:

1) Download the Miss World app on iTunes or Google Play Store.

2) Launch the app. Scroll down to find the “Your Top 3” section and click “Browse candidates”.

3) On the search bar, type the name of the country. Click on the candidate’s profile on the results below.

4) On the candidate’s profile page, click “Add to Top 3”. Do the same for two other candidates you want to include in the Top 3.

5) Soon as you complete your Top 3, click “Vote Now”. You will be redirected to a page to confirm that you have voted for your favorites.

You will get a bonus set of three votes if you choose to subscribe to the app, which means Valerie will get two votes from you!

Valerie Weigmann was expected to win the Miss World Philippines 2014 crown the moment she appeared during the screenings. But the 24-year-old TV host and professional model did not rely on her popularity for the shot at the crown: she made sure she will make it based on her own merits.

The good
The Filipino-German beauty exuded sexiness and elegance throughout the finals night. But what is commendable is that despite being the perceived “favorite”, Weigmann appeared humble and genuine even after getting the lion’s share of special awards.

She was channeling Oxana Fedorova (dethroned Miss Universe 2002) during the evening gown competition with her straight black hair, flowy empire cut gown and side poses. She has the right amount of sweetness and regal bearing that made her win Best in Long Gown. Prior to that she also bagged the Best in Swimsuit award as well as the Best in Fashion Runway which automatically placed her in the Top 13.

The night was already hers, and it seemed that the rest of the candidates were just competing for the runner-up positions. But what sealed the deal for Weigmann was her well-composed answer when asked why she should win the title: “I try to live my life in relation to others, by putting myself into other people’s shoes. I believe in the importance of empathy and compassion because I see if all of us can come together and work as one we can all be advocates of change. And I want to inspire and encourage everyone to take up a personal advocacy such as my own…because I believe it is truly in giving that makes us beautiful.”

Finishing as first princess was Lorraine Kendrickson (#1) who was also one of the favorites prior to the competition proper. She gave solid performances in both swimsuit and evening gown. She was also named Miss Sports.

The most pleasant surprise of the night was Nelda Ibe (#20), who finished 2nd princess. The curly hair parted to one side and her good runway skills worked to her advantage. But her shining moment was when she was named Miss Photogenic, earning her a spot in the semifinals.

Nicole Donesa (#14) finishing 3rd princess and Rachel Louise Peters as 4th princess were some of the night’s upsets.

Donesa, a GMA contract artist, did well during the question-and-answer portion, but her overall performance was lackluster. Gazini Christiana Ganados (#5) and Ina Dominica Guerrero (#12) were far more deserving to be in the Top 5 based on overall packaging and performance.

Peters was expected to deliver well during the finals and she sure did a good job. She was breezing through the competition, until the Q&A. In the middle of her speech, she choked and then giggled. She kissed the crown goodbye during that moment.

Sarreal’s performance was forgettable but she was fast-tracked to the Top 13 after being named Miss Sun Cellular.

The bad
How a special award from a telecom sponsor merited an automatic semifinals placement instead of the Miss Sports and Best in Talent (won by candidate #21 Jean Marie Feliciano) awards is baffling. In Miss World, winners of the sports and talent challenge events are fast-tracked to the Top 20.

Too many special awards were given during the finals night and this ate a lot of airtime. These should have just been awarded during gala night and just save the major special awards for the finals.

Hosts Mikael Daez and Janine Gutierrez did okay as first-time pageant hosts. Gwendoline Ruais as expected delivered well, considering she already hosted the online episodes for Miss World in Bali last year. Tim Yap, who even mispronounced Valerie’s surname twice (first at the backstage interview and second during the closing spiel), was irrelevant.

Having the Yagit child star carry the sash during the crowning was also unnecessary. Why was she in the pageant night that ended way past her bed time? It seemed like a desperate attempt for GMA to promote their show and artist.

Despite these, the production improved overall. The stage wasn’t that big but it was utilized well. The show appeared more glossy on TV, too.

The beautiful
Perhaps the best moment was the opening number. After a VTR showing her journey, Young walked on stage looking immaculate in that Leo Almodal creation. Her spiel surely gave anyone watching the show goosebumps: “I have the honor to stand before you tonight as the first Filipina Miss World.”

The new Miss World Philippines faces great challenge to score a back-to-back win for the country or at least keep the placement streak going in Miss World.

Weigmann’s trainers have already polished her, but she needs to undergo rigid training keep her good figure, improve her communication skills as well as to find the perfect look that will suit the standards of the international pageant. Most importantly, she must prepare her Beauty With a Purpose material as it is one of Miss World’s main considerations in choosing a winner.

The pressure will be there as she has only a month to prepare before she leaves for London to compete. But with the drive to succeed plus the best pageant fans to support her, it will surely be a beautiful journey.

This article was first published on RapplerPhotos: Missosology’s Bong Tan and Rappler

STUNNING. Yulia Alipova takes her first walk as Miss Russia 2014. Photo from Voices of Russia

Yulia Alipova from Balakovo, Saratov region has won the Miss Russia 2014 contest, beating 49 other stunning contestants in glittering ceremonies held in Moscow on March 1. She is expected to compete in both the Miss Universe and Miss World pageants later this year.

Alipova, 23, is a heat power engineer and a certified Russian-English interpreter. She graduated with honors, specializing in mathematics and physics. She continued her studies at the Moscow Power Engineering University.

Anastasia Reshetova of Moscow and Anastasia Kostenko of Rostov Oblast finished first and second runners-up, respectively.

The reigning queens, Miss World 2013 Megan Young and Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler were part of the jury and assisted in crowning. Alipova was crowned by the outgoing queen Elmira Abdrazakova.

ALL HAIL THE QUEENS. Miss World Megan Young, Alipova, and Miss Universe Gabriela Isler. Photo from Miss World

Megan Young was on the plane when the clock struck 12, but she had a wonderful time on her birthday when she arrived in Russia.

After attending to some duties for the Miss Russia 2014 pageant, where she will serve as a judge alongside Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler, Miss World was given a mini birthday celebration by the Miss Russia Organization. She was also presented with some earrings as a present.

The reigning queens have finally crossed path. Miss Universe 2013 Gabriela Isler of Venezuela and Miss World 2013 Megan Young of the Philippines are now in Moscow to attend the Miss Russia 2014 pageant which will take place on Saturday, March 1. The two were joined by Miss Russia 2013 Elmira Abdrazakova (who competed in both pageants last year) in a press conference.

She forayed into show business through GMA-7’s talent search program Starstruck. A few years after, she moved to ABS-CBN where she honed her skills in hosting and acting. She is also a student at De La Salle-College of St Benilde, where she is learning the craft of film-making She is a loving daughter and a good provider for her siblings.

It has always been a dream of pageants fans to have Megan Young compete in a pageant and last year this dream materialized. She joined Miss World Philippines as the lone delegate of Aces & Queens. She won the crown, and it wasn’t because she is already a celebrity, but because she worked really had for it.

A few weeks after, she flew to Indonesia for Miss World. The moment she set her foot in Bali, Megan already captures everyone’s heart. It wasn’t an easy road toward the crown, but with her placements in challenge events Megan has cemented a place for her in the finals. And as they say the rest is history. Megan Young won the crown and promised to be “the best Miss World ever”.

Today, let us all wish you Megan a happy birthday and good luck on the remaining months of her reign. More happy returns, our dear queen! 🙂

It was pageant website Missosology who approached PhilPost three months ago to collaborate with the issuance of the stamps. “Missosology provided PhilPost the materials to work on including the high resolution photos of Megan by Bong Tan. However, the design and production was all under the corporation,” it said on its website.

But for this to push through, the organizers need the go signal from the government.

“We need the blessing—that’s the most important thing,” said Miss World Philippines national director Cory Quirino,said in interview with PEP.ph. But until now, they are still waiting for Malacanang’s go-ahead.